Recently released medical guidelines strongly endorse the use of specific weight-loss medications. The top medicine according to the researchers was semaglutide, also known as Wegovy. Perica Davitkov, the study’s author, told Insider that he was startled by the medications’ effectiveness. Morning Brew is read by more than 3 million people; you should too! Thank you for registering! The American Gastroenterological Association has for the first time published medical guidelines , which rates the efficacy of various weight loss medications and strongly advises prescription them to certain individuals.
A group of experts, including gastroenterologists, registered dietitians with specialization in obesity, doctors with competence in obesity medicine, and others, developed the guidelines.
In order to assist doctors in deciding which weight-loss medications to recommend to patients, the researchers evaluated eight different medications, including semaglutide and liraglutide. They discovered that there are numerous efficient and secure treatment options accessible.
For those who are obese or overweight who have not been successful in losing weight through diet and exercise alone, they stated that they “highly advocate” using weight reduction medications in addition to lifestyle changes.
The drugs work in conjunction with lifestyle adjustments. The researchers evaluated the medications’ benefits and drawbacks using information from prior studies, with a primary focus on total body weight loss. The quantity of weight lost by individuals who took the medication and those who just changed their lifestyles were also contrasted.
Lifestyle therapies typically included 150 minutes of physical activity per week along with calorie deficits of 500–600 per day.
Researchers discovered that when participants used one of the medicines in addition, weight reduction was “significantly higher.”
Along with diet and exercise, they suggested four drugs as first-line treatments for weight loss.
The weight loss medications in order of effectiveness:
According to the standards, these medications caused only minor or insignificant unfavorable side effects while causing moderate to significant weight loss.
Each of the medications is expected to result in a significant percentage of patients losing five to ten percent of their overall body weight when combined with lifestyle adjustments, which might have a significant favorable impact on long-term health, they said.
According to the recommendations, studies comparing semaglutide to other medications showed that it caused the greatest proportion of weight loss.
Semaglutide, which was first created to treat type 2 diabetes, gained approval for weight reduction in 2021 and quickly became so popular that the producer had to issue shortage warnings, according to Insider’s Gabby Landsverk. It works by reducing appetite and can be administered orally or intravenously.
According to Insider’s Anna Miller, some people who take semaglutide report having less of an alcohol need.
Orlistat, one of the medications the team evaluated, was not advised because it produced only modest weight loss and its negative effects caused many users to discontinue taking it.
These drugs do not cure a lifestyle issue; they treat a biological ailment. Dr. Eduardo Grunvald of the University of California San Diego, who co-authored the guidelines, stated in a press release that obesity is a condition that frequently does not respond to lifestyle treatments alone in the long-term.
The drugs have the potential to improve a person’s health in many ways, ONE OF THE GUIDELINES’ CO-AUTHORS SAID The medications are an interesting breakthrough, and Perica Davitkov, senior methodologist of the guidelines and co-chair of the team, told Insider that he was startled by their effectiveness, but it is yet unclear how important they will be in maintaining weight loss.
They function really well, according to Davitkov. When combined with a change in lifestyle, it results in a significant weight loss.
According to Davitkov, the medications may help persons with health difficulties brought on by obesity, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes, hypertension, and joint problems.
He added, “It’s just improving people’s health, not only losing weight.”
